Focus

As you quiet yourself for this brief time, be willing to be open to God in whatever way that may take place.

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Read

Psalm 119:105-112 (NRSV)

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to observe your righteous ordinances.
I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O LORD, according to your word.
Accept my offerings of praise, O LORD,
and teach me your ordinances.
I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
Your decrees are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.

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Reflect

I remember the words in Psalm 119:105 from early childhood. Every summer during the opening exercises of Vacation Bible School these words would be repeated as we said the pledge to the Bible: “I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and I will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.” We no longer include this ritual in our VBS, but perhaps we should.

To walk safely in the dark we need a light. Without a light we stumble, bump into things, and even fall. The same is true of our daily walk in this world. God’s Word is the light that reveals to us the entangling roots or stumbling blocks that have been placed in our pathway—the false values and philosophies that the world presents to us as truth. It is only through our commitment to daily Bible study and prayer that we are able to see our way clear enough to stay on the right path.

The words I recited as a child have even greater meaning for me today. There are so many invitations to stray from the path that God intends for me to travel. As the psalmist concludes, “I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.”

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Pray

Dear God, you call us to a childlike faith. As our loving parent, you demand obedience because you alone know what is best for us. Your Word provides the light we need to guide us through each day. May we follow you faithfully to the very end. Amen.

Go with God.